Thank a hard-working pollinator on Thanksgiving

10:23 AM,
Nov. 21, 2012

Written by

Phyllis Stiles
OPINION

As we gather around the Thanksgiving table this year, perhaps we can take a moment to thank the hardworking pollinators that helped most of our food grow.

According to the U.S.Department of Agriculture, about one-third of the human diet comes from insect-pollinated plants, and the honeybee is responsible for 80 percent of that pollination. Even the plants that cows eat (alfalfa and clover) to make milk, cheese, butter, ice cream and beef, depend on pollinators.

This summer, Asheville City Council voted unanimously to become the inaugural Bee City USA with a commitment to making our ...